The sweet sweet unemployment lifestyle

As luck would have it, I got laid off..from an internship!  Not really sure how it happened, but I'm rolling with the punches, babysitting, and enjoying some time off.  Here's what I've been doing:

1) Making friends with people in costumes:

Exhibit A: Abe Lincoln @ Nationals Game

Exhibit B: Buddha @ BYT Rave Pool Party

2) Eating and drinking

Exhibit A: Boating at Otis Reservoir in MA

Exhibit B: Things I've cooked so far this week:

-Delish pizza with summer squash, zucchini, tomato, basil and cheddar on a garlic herb crust.

-Harvest grains salad and spinach with pine nuts

-Homemade strawberry jam

3) Becoming an expert at urban picnicking

Exhibit A: Screen on the Green

Exhibit B: Fort Reno Park concerts

Exhibit C: Jazz in the Sculpture Garden @ National Gallery of Art

4) Watch movies

Exhibit A: aforementioned Screen on the Green: so far: Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Dog Day Afternoon

Exhibit B: Free redbox code:

-Rachel Getting Married, Confessions of a Shopaholic

Exhibit C: Free screenings, borrowing DVDs, and friends who work at movie theaters

-Harry Potter, 500 Days of Summer, Julie & Julia, Breakin: Electric Boogaloo 2, American Teen

So if you've ever wondered how an unemployed 20 year old might spend her time...now you know.  And really, what else could you ever need (besides money)? 

A Capitol Fourth

What better place to spend the Fourth of July than the Nation's Capitol?

I started out the day celebrating at my friend Jackie's apartment, where she made "American Special" pancakes complete with strawberries and blueberries.

Next up was the Nationals vs. Braves game: the Nats rallied in the 8th inning and won 5-3! Nationals outfielder Adam Dunn also got his 300th career homerun.

Then we headed to Good Stuff Eatery, a burger joint which is run by Spike of Bravo series Top Chef. Unfortunately he was not there, but my burger & milkshake were yummy and all-American!

Next we headed to join friends right by the Washington Monument. We then relaxed and visited for three hours before the fabulous fireworks show shot off from the reflecting pool of the Lincoln Memorial. It was amazing-- definitely the best fireworks show I've ever seen

We were pretty exhausted from being outside all day and starting the celebrations at 8am so a few of us skipped the party we were planning on going to, walked to Dupont Circle to skip the crowds, hopped on the metro and headed home.

View Fourth of July Walking Path in a larger map

Upon reflection on the day I realized we did quite a bit of walking: we walked from Nationals Park to Good Stuff Eatery (a few blocks behind the Capitol), all the way down the mall to the Washington Monument, and finally to Dupont Circle. In total it was 5.6 MILES!

It was a great fourth of July! The only negative was waking up the next morning and realizing I had a really awkward sunburn on only my kneecaps!